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Cool Down with Perfect Pops

by Esther Sung

on 07/08/11 at 03:00 PM

Growing up, the Popsicle was my summer treat of choice. My mom would sometimes buy them for us but she'd also make them with a fruit juice base. I don't know where she got the molds, and the sticks were the ones we saved from eating store-bought Popsicles. But when the temperature rose and the air got thicker, I'd open the freezer and help myself to a delicious frozen snack. I'm not sure at what young age my preference shifted from Popsicles to ice cream, but after reading Charity Ferreira's Perfect Pops: The 50 Best Classic & Cool Treats (Chronicle Books), I may revert back.

It's a slim book, but the pages are bursting with color and the recipes are amazingly simple. The Pineapple Pops with Chile & Lime recipe lists just five ingredients: pineapple, sugar, lime juice, cayenne pepper, and salt. Purée, mix, and freeze. That's it. Sure, the Striped Juice Bar Pops, featuring watermelon-beet juice and carrot-apple juice, requires a few more ingredients and there's a bit of straining involved, but ultimately, both of these recipes demonstrate that big, lush flavors don't require a lot of ingredients or steps.

What's really nice is knowing that with such a variety of flavors in the book, chances are everyone will find something to their liking, whether it be Chocolate-Crème Fraîche Pops, Arrozo Con Leche Pops, or Chocolate Guinness Pops (the last being suitable for the young-at-heart). So whether your craving for a popsicle is nostalgia-driven, or if you're a DIYer just getting into this for the first time, pick up a copy of Perfect Pops.